When looking at a culture other than your own, you right from the perspective of an outsider and try to understand what it is like to be an insider. First and foremost, this needs to be done without prejudice for practices or religions that you do not understand. TRY to understand them. TRY to understand how the people in that society function. And remember, that even if customs seem strange to you ... they aren't strange to the culture.

First, see how the culture is different from your own, then see how the two cultures are similar. And just as your customs make sense to you, try to establish how customs make sense in the culture you are studying.

You can practice this by observing any activity you aren't familiar with (going to a religious service or sporting event that you have little knowledge of) ... and see the differences and similarities to what you are familiar with. And then use the same skills to discuss a different culture.

People write about other cultures all the time. Anthropology, archeology and enthnography all involve studying a culture of your own. Although there are research methodologies for each depending on the goal, there are some commonalities. In each case, it is up to you as the researcher to suspend judgment. Writing about culture is about analyzing and describing, not critiquing.